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The Big Goodbye
' |image= |series= |production=40271-113 |producer(s)= |story= |script=Tracy Tormé |director=Joseph L. Scanlan |imdbref=tt0708787 |guests=Lawrence Tierney as Cyrus Redblock, Harvey Jason as Felix Leech, William Boyett as Dan Bell, David Selburg as Whalen, Gary Armagnac as McNary, Mike Genovese as Desk Sergeant, Dick Miller as Vendor, Carolyn Allport as Jessica Bradley, Rhonda Aldrich as Secretary, Erik Cord as Thug |previous_production=Too Short a Season |next_production=Datalore |episode= |airdate=9 January 1988 |previous_release=Haven |next_release=Datalore |story_date(s)=Stardate 41997.7 |previous_story=Too Short a Season |next_story=Datalore }} =Summary= The Enterprise heads to Torona IV to open negotiations with the Jaradan, an insect-like race. After practising the precise greeting required for the negotiations by Jaradan protocol, Captain Jean-Luc Picard decides to relax with a Dixon Hill story in the holodeck. Playing Detective Hill in the holoprogram, Picard takes up the case of Jessica Bradley, who believes Cyrus Redblock is trying to kill her. Picard decides to continue the program later and leaves the holodeck to affirm their estimated arrival at Torona IV. He invites Dr. Beverly Crusher and visiting historian Dr. Whalen to join him in the holodeck. While Crusher is still preparing, Picard and Whalen are ready to enter the holodeck when Lt. Cdr. Data arrives, having overheard Picard's invitation. Entering the holodeck, the three discover Jessica has been murdered in Picard's absence. As Picard explains that he saw Jessica at his office the day before, Lt. McNary brings Picard into the police station for questioning as a suspect in her murder. Dr. Crusher enters the holodeck and joins her friends at the police station. Meanwhile, the Enterprise is scanned from a distance by the Jaradan, causing a momentary flicker of power. They demand their greeting earlier than the agreed time and are insulted at having to talk to anyone other than the Captain. The crew try to communicate with Picard in the holodeck but find it impossible; the Jaradan signal has affected the holodeck's functions, preventing the doors from opening. Lt. Geordi La Forge and Wesley Crusher attempt to repair the holodeck systems, while inside the holodeck, the group returns to Dixon's office. Mr. Leech waits for Picard, demanding he turn over an object Jessica gave him. When Picard fails to understand, Leech shoots Dr. Whalen with a gun. As Dr. Crusher cares for his wound, Picard and Data recognize the holodeck is malfunctioning. They discover its safety protocols are disabled and are unable to exit the program. Mr. Leech is joined by Redblock and continues to demand the object. Lt. McNary, wanting to follow up on the previous interrogation, becomes involved in the standoff. Picard tries to explain the nature of the holodeck, but Redblock refuses to believe him. Outside, Wesley finds that the holodeck converted the trapped crew into holographic signals; he cannot simply turn off the system for fear of losing them. Instead, Wesley resets the simulation, briefly placing Picard and the others in the middle of a snowstorm before finding themselves back in Dixon's office. With the reset successfully clearing the malfunction, the exit doors finally appear. Despite Picard's warnings, Redblock and Leech exit the holodeck and disintegrate once they reach the corridor. As they leave the holodeck, Picard thanks McNary for his assistance, who now suspects that his world is artificial and asks whether Picard's departure is "the big goodbye". Dr. Crusher races Dr. Whalen to sick bay as Picard reaches the bridge just in time to give the proper greeting to the Jaradan. The Jaradan accept the greeting, heralding the start of successful negotiations. =Errors and explanations= Plot Oversights # The Jarada probe that damages the holodeck shaking the bridge, without the occupants of the holodeck realising it. The shaking caused by the probe may not have filtered through to the holodeck. Equipment Oddities # The holodeck program showing Hill's office when Picard initially leaves, but the street outside when he re-enters with Data and Whalen. Picard could have programmed the holodeck to restart on the street. # No one raising the possibility of the Holodeck permitting Crusher to take the injured Whalen to a recreation of a hospital. Redblock and Leach may not have allowed to leave. Besides, the damage from the probe may have prevented the holodeck from amending the program to include a hospital. ''' # The holodeck dimming at the end, instead of reverting to the grid. '''The dimming of the holodeck at the end of the programme could be due to the damage from the probe. Continuity and Production Problems #The newspaper is folded when the vendor picks it up, but unfolded when Picard receives it. The newspaper must have unfolded when it was handed to Picard. Internet Movie Database Character error # Cyrus says he doesn't know the word "computer" in fact he should know the word, especially if he is a business man, legal or not. Before the invention of the electronic device in the late 1940s, the word "computers" referred to people whose job was to do complex mathematics, especially in the fields of accounting and engineering. It was in fact the job that was eliminated by the invention of the electronic computer. It's the context he doesn't recognise, not the word itself. Plot holes # If the Jarada conference is so all-important as claimed, why is Picard playing his Holodeck game instead of rigorously preparing for it? The earlier preparations may have left Picard too stressed out to continue. Nit Central # Mike Nuss on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 10:15 pm: Cyrus Redblock and his goon exit the Holodeck and very slowly fade away. Shouldn't they have disappeared instantly as soon as they passed through the exit? This contradicts what we have seen in future episodes. This could be another sympton of the damage from the probe. # Sparrow47 on Sunday, September 01, 2002 - 8:20 pm: Interesting note I found out while doing the synopsis: the director and writer of this ep wanted everything in the holodeck to be in black and white, but Berman and Justman pointed out that the holodeck couldn't do this to the "real" crew. So then along comes Bride of Chaotica!... The holodecks on Voyager are more advanced then the one's featured here. # Jonathan (Jon0815) on Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - 6:50 am: Riker sends LaForge to the holodeck to find Picard, rather than simply calling Picard on his commbadge. The effects of the probe may have disrupted the communication system. # Have high heels gone out of fashion in the future? Crusher stumbling in her stilleto heels, on the steps inside the police station, suggests she isn't used to wearing them,although she has no difficulty dancing in heels in the fourth season episode Data's Day. She may have practiced, especially if she needed to portray a woman wearing high heels in one of her drama productions. # Although Picard and Data repeatedly say "Identify exit" without result, they never try saying "End program", or "Freeze program", or telling the computer to restore safety protocols. They probably realise that a holodeck which ignores a command to identify the exit won't freeze the program or reset the safety protocals. # As Data pinches the barrel closed and drops the gun on the floor, rather than backing away helplessly, why doesn't the henchman pull out the gun he took from Detective #2, which he presumably still has on him? Either he no longer has it, or he is too shocked by Data's action to get it out. # After Data picks up Whalen to carry him to sick bay, he walks out of the holodeck at a leisurely pace. Whalen is dying, so why doesn't Data run? It may not be possible for Data to run while carrying Whalen, especially as this could aggrevate Whalen's injuries. # Jonathan (Jon0815) on Tuesday, August 07, 2012 - 11:17 am: If Tasha couldn't tell where the probe was coming from, how did she know it was "long range"? Probably because the source of the scan was located somewhere beyond the range of their sensors. =Sources= Category:Episodes Category:The Next Generation